US20140029177A1 - Electronic device - Google Patents
Electronic device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20140029177A1 US20140029177A1 US13/928,201 US201313928201A US2014029177A1 US 20140029177 A1 US20140029177 A1 US 20140029177A1 US 201313928201 A US201313928201 A US 201313928201A US 2014029177 A1 US2014029177 A1 US 2014029177A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- section
- flat section
- flat
- electronic device
- device case
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
- G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
- G06F1/1628—Carrying enclosures containing additional elements, e.g. case for a laptop and a printer
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
- H04M1/02—Constructional features of telephone sets
- H04M1/0202—Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
- G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
- G06F1/1633—Constructional details or arrangements of portable computers not specific to the type of enclosures covered by groups G06F1/1615 - G06F1/1626
- G06F1/1656—Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories
- G06F1/166—Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories related to integrated arrangements for adjusting the position of the main body with respect to the supporting surface, e.g. legs for adjusting the tilt angle
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04B—TRANSMISSION
- H04B1/00—Details of transmission systems, not covered by a single one of groups H04B3/00 - H04B13/00; Details of transmission systems not characterised by the medium used for transmission
- H04B1/38—Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
- H04B1/3827—Portable transceivers
- H04B1/3888—Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K7/00—Constructional details common to different types of electric apparatus
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
- A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
- A45C11/00—Receptacles for purposes not provided for in groups A45C1/00-A45C9/00
- A45C2011/003—Receptacles for purposes not provided for in groups A45C1/00-A45C9/00 for portable computing devices, e.g. laptop, tablet, netbook, game boy, navigation system, calculator
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
- A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
- A45C2200/00—Details not otherwise provided for in A45C
- A45C2200/15—Articles convertible into a stand, e.g. for displaying purposes
Definitions
- the present invention relates to electronic devices such as portable information terminal devices.
- a flat-type electronic device which is structured to include a case cover section where the device body is placed and a lid cover section rotatably mounted on the case cover section to cover the front surface of the device body, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) Publication No. 2007-127980.
- This type of electronic device is structured such that the lid cover section rotates to openably and closably cover the front surface of the device body, with the device body being accommodated in the case cover section formed approximately in a box or frame shape.
- This is merely a structure where the lid cover section only opens and closes, which is inconvenient in that various usage according to use situations cannot be achieved.
- the present invention is to allow usage according to various use situations and enhance usability.
- an electronic device comprising: a first flat section which is positioned on a back surface side of a flat-type device body; a second flat section which openably and closably covers a front surface of the device body; and a coupling section which couples the first flat section and the second flat section together such that the first flat section and the second flat section are foldable, wherein the first flat section has a first folding section provided in parallel with the coupling section, and the second flat section has a second folding section provided in parallel with the coupling section.
- the front surface of the device body positioned on the first flat section can be openably and closably covered by the second flat section.
- the first folding section of the first flat section and the second folding section of the second flat section can be selectively folded according to the use situation of the device body. Therefore, usage according to various use situations is possible, whereby usability is enhanced.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment in use, in which the present invention has been applied to an electronic device;
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a protective cover and the electronic device depicted in FIG. 1 when they are detached;
- FIG. 3 is a plan view of the protective cover depicted in FIG. 2 when it is unfolded and developed;
- FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B each depict a cross section of the protective cover depicted in FIG. 3 , of which FIG. 4A is a sectional view of the protective cover taken along line A-A in FIG. 3 , and FIG. 4B is an enlarged sectional view of the main portion taken along line B-B in FIG. 3 ;
- FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the back surface side of the electronic device depicted in FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B depict an engaging section of the device case depicted in FIG. 5 , of which FIG. 6A is an enlarged view of the main portion thereof, and FIG. 6B is an enlarged sectional view of the main portion taken along line C-C;
- FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B depict a click-feeling providing section depicted in FIG. 2 , of which FIG. 7A is an enlarged perspective view thereof and FIG. 7B is an enlarged sectional view of the main portion thereof taken along line D-D;
- FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C each depict a use mode of the protective cover depicted in FIG. 2 , of which FIG. 8A is a side view depicting the state in which the electronic device is leaned against the protective cover, FIG. 8B is a side view depicting the state in which the protective cover is used as a paper table for recording paper sheets, and FIG. 8C is a side view depicting the state in which the electronic device is used with a recording paper sheet interposed between the protective cover and the device case;
- FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a second embodiment in use, in which the present invention has been applied to an electronic device
- FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of the main portion of a pause section of the protective cover depicted in FIG. 9 ;
- FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of the main portion of the pause section when the front surface of the device case is covered and closed by a second flat section of the protective cover depicted in FIG. 10 ;
- FIG. 12 is a side view depicting the state in which the electronic device is used by being leaned against the protective cover depicted in FIG. 9 .
- a protective cover 1 is foldable and covers a flat-type electronic device 2 for protection.
- the electronic device 2 is a tablet terminal device, and includes a flat-plate-shaped device case 3 .
- the device case 3 has a front surface 3 a provided with an input display section 4 and an imaging section 5 .
- the input display section 4 is structured by a display panel being placed on the lower surface of a touch panel, and is placed over an approximately entire area of the front surface 3 a of the device case 3 .
- the input display section 4 is structured so that when the touch panel is touched while information displayed on the display panel is being viewed, display contents are switched and other information is inputted.
- the imaging section 5 is a digital camera section and, as depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , is provided at one side portion 3 b of the front surface 3 a of the device case 3 .
- the imaging section 5 is structured to image a subject 6 placed on another side portion 3 c side of the device case 3 across the input display section 4 .
- the subject 6 is, for example, a business card or a writing paper sheet containing a memo.
- the protective cover 1 includes a first flat section 7 where the back surface 3 d of the electronic device 2 is placed, a second flat section 8 which openably and closably covers the front surface 3 a of the electronic device 2 , and a coupling section 9 which foldably couples the first flat section 7 and the second flat section 8 together.
- the first flat section 7 , the second flat section 8 , and the coupling section 9 are each structured by an intermediate plate 10 made of synthetic resin and a cover sheet 11 covering the intermediate plate 10 .
- the intermediate plate 10 is made of hard synthetic resin such as polypropylene, and is formed for each of the first flat section 7 , the second flat section 8 , and the coupling section 9 independently.
- the cover sheet 11 is made of synthetic leather, natural leather, soft synthetic resin, or the like, and is formed to cover along the intermediate plates 10 of the first flat section 7 , the second flat section 8 , and the coupling section 9 .
- the protective cover 1 is structured to be foldable at a portion between the first flat section 7 and the coupling section 9 coupled together and a portion between the second flat section 8 and the coupling section 9 coupled together, via the cover sheet 11 .
- a first folding section 12 is provided at a middle portion of the first flat section 7 in parallel with a folding direction relative to the coupling section 9
- a second folding section 13 is also provided at a middle portion of the second flat section 8 in parallel with the folding direction relative to the coupling section 9 .
- the first flat section 7 is structured such that the intermediate plate 10 is divided into left and right sides with the first folding section 12 as a boundary, and the portions obtained by the division are coupled together such that the first flat section 7 can be folded via the cover sheet 11 .
- the second flat section 8 is structured such that the intermediate plate 10 is divided into left and right sides with the second folding section 13 as a boundary, and the portions obtained by the division are coupled together such that the second flat section 8 can be folded via the cover sheet 11 .
- the first flat section 7 is formed to have an area slightly larger than that of the back surface 3 d of the electronic device 2 .
- the second flat section 8 is formed to have an area slightly larger than the front surface 3 a of the electronic device 2 and dimensions approximately equal to those of the first flat section 7 .
- a first position regulating groove 8 a and a second position regulating groove 8 b are provided in a manner to be a predetermined distance away from each other and in parallel with the coupling section 9 .
- the coupling section 9 is formed to have an area slightly larger than a side surface portion of the electronic device 2 .
- the first flat section 7 is provided with a device mount plate 14 where the electronic device 2 is removably mounted.
- the device mount plate 14 is formed to have dimensions approximately equal to the back surface 3 d of the device case 3 .
- the device mount plate 14 is mounted on only a half of the first flat section 7 located opposite to the coupling section 9 with the first folding section 12 as a boundary.
- the device mount plate 14 is provided with a position regulating hook section 15 which regulates a mount position of the electronic device 2 by being removably engaged with the electronic device 2 .
- the position regulating hook section 15 includes paired pinching hooks 16 which pinch the one side portion 3 b of the device case 3 positioned opposite to the coupling section 9 , or in other words, the one side portion 3 b of the device case 3 where the imaging section 5 is positioned, and a plurality of engaging hooks 18 which removably engage with engaging sections 17 provided at four corners of the back surface 3 d of the device case 3 .
- the paired pinching hooks 16 are structured to abut on both side portions of the imaging section 5 and the one side portion 3 b of the device case 3 when pinching the one side portion 3 b of the device case 3 positioned on both sides of the imaging section 5 , and thereby regulate the mount position of the device case 3 with respect to the device mount plate 14 .
- the engaging sections 17 of the device case 3 have recesses 17 a provided on four corners of the back surface 3 d of the device case 3 and engaging bridge sections 17 b provided in the respective recesses 17 a.
- Each recess 17 a is formed in an approximately oval cone shape elongated from the corner of the device case 3 toward the center, and each engaging bridge section 17 b is placed over an area where the oval is divided into two in a longitudinal direction.
- each engaging section 17 of the device case 3 is structured such that the engaging hook 18 of the device case 3 is removably engaged with the engaging bridge section 17 b , and a band (not shown) is attached to the device case 3 by being inserted in a space between the bottom of the recess 17 a and the lower surface of the engaging bridge section 17 b , whereby the device case 3 can be carried, as depicted in FIG. 5 , FIG. 6A , and FIG. 6B .
- the position regulating hook section 15 is structured such that the paired pinching hooks 16 pinch the one side portion 3 b of the device case 3 where the imaging section 5 of the device case 3 is positioned so as to regulate the mount position of the device case 3 with respect to the device mount plate 14 .
- the engaging hooks 18 are engaged with the engaging sections 17 of the device case 3 , and thereby mount the device case 3 on the device mount plate 14 .
- the protective cover 1 of the electronic device 2 includes a pause section 20 which regulates a closing movement of the second flat section 8 when the second flat section 8 is tilted at a predetermined angle ⁇ with respect to the first flat section 7 so as to cover the front surface 3 a of the electronic device 2 .
- the predetermined angle ⁇ of the second flat section 8 in association with the pause section 20 is, for example, in a range of 45 degrees to 90 degrees, and is preferably about 60 degrees.
- the pause section 20 includes a first hinge 21 which rotates by a rotating force equal to or more than a predetermined rotating force and a second hinge 22 which rotates by a rotating force less than the predetermined rotating force.
- the first hinge 21 is a torque hinge, and is mounted across the intermediate plate 10 of the second flat section 8 and the intermediate plate 10 of the coupling section 9 .
- paired mount pieces 21 b are rotatably mounted on a hinge shaft 21 a , as depicted in FIG. 4B .
- the hinge shaft 21 a being placed between the intermediate plate 10 of the second flat section 8 and the intermediate plate 10 of the coupling section 9 , one of the mount pieces 21 b is mounted on the intermediate plate 10 of the second flat section 8 and the other mount piece 21 b is mounted on the intermediate plate 10 of the coupling section 9 .
- the first hinge 21 is structured such that, by a predetermined load being exerted when the paired mount pieces 21 b rotate about the hinge shaft 21 a , the paired mount pieces 21 b rotate about the hinge shaft 21 a by the rotating force equal to or more than the predetermined rotating force.
- the second hinge 22 is made of synthetic resin, and is structured such that the paired mount pieces 22 b integrally coupled are foldable by a folding section 22 a equivalent to a hinge shaft.
- the second hinge 22 is structured such that, with the folding section 22 a being placed between the intermediate plate 10 of the first flat section 7 and the intermediate plate 10 of the coupling section 9 , one of the mount pieces 22 b is mounted on the intermediate plate 10 of the first flat section 7 and the other mount piece 22 b is mounted on the intermediate plate 10 of the coupling section 9 .
- the folding section 22 a is formed between the paired mount pieces 22 b such that the thickness thereof is thinner than the thickness of each mount piece 22 b.
- the second hinge 22 is structured such that, when the paired mount pieces 22 b rotate around the folding section 22 a by the folding section 22 a being folded, the paired mount pieces 22 b rotate around the folding section 22 a by a rotating force less than the predetermined rotating force, that is, a rotating force which rarely causes a load.
- the pause section 20 is structured to, when the second flat section 8 is to cover the front surface 3 a of the electronic device 2 , cause the second flat section 8 to rotate together with the coupling section 9 around the second hinge 22 with respect to the first flat section 7 , pause the second flat section 8 at the predetermined tilt angle ⁇ , and then cause the second flat section 8 to rotate around the first hinge 21 with respect to the coupling section 9 , as depicted in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B .
- the protective cover 1 includes a click-feeling providing section 23 which provides a click-feeling to the second flat section 8 when the second flat section 8 is paused at the predetermined tilt angle ⁇ with respect to the first flat section 7 .
- This click-feeling providing section 23 includes a click body 24 and an arm section 25 , as depicted in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B .
- the click body 24 is structured such that a sliding section 24 b is placed in a body section 24 a provided on the coupling section 9 is retractable by the spring force of a coil spring 24 c , as depicted in FIG. 7A , and FIG. 7B .
- the arm section 25 is provided to the first flat section 7 , and is structured such that, when the second flat section 8 rotates with the coupling section 9 at the predetermined tilt angle ⁇ relative to the first flat section 7 , a tilt section 25 a at the tip pushes the sliding section 24 b into the body section 24 a.
- the click body 24 is structured such that, when the sliding section 24 b is pushed by the arm section 25 into the body section 24 , a collar section 24 d of the sliding section 24 b overshoots a projection 24 e in the body section 24 a , and thereby provides a click feeling.
- the protective cover 1 is structured such that an open/close angle of the protective cover 1 is detected by an open/close detecting section 26 when the protective cover 1 covers the device case 3 .
- This open/close detecting section 26 includes a detection element 26 a provided on the device case 3 , and a detection target section 26 b which is provided on the protective cover 1 and can move toward or away from the detection element 26 a of the device case 3 in accordance with an opening/closing movement of the protective cover 1 .
- the detection element 26 a is a magnetic sensor such as a Hall element, and provided on a side surface inside the device case 3 corresponding to the coupling section 9 of the protective cover 1 , as depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 .
- This detection element 26 a is structured to output an electric signal for causing the imaging section 5 to perform imaging as a detection signal when detecting magnetism.
- the detection target section 26 b is a magnet, and provided on the coupling section 9 of the protective cover 1 corresponding to the side surface of the device case 3 .
- This detection target section 26 b is structured to be able to move toward or away from the detection element 26 a of the device case 3 in accordance with an opening/closing movement of the protective cover 1 .
- the open/close detecting section 26 is structured such that, when the second flat section 8 is tilted to the predetermined angle ⁇ with respect to the first flat section 7 and paused, the detection element 26 a detects the detection target section 26 b and outputs an electric signal for causing the imaging section 5 to perform imaging as a detection signal, as depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 .
- the coupling section 9 of the protective cover 1 corresponding to the side surface portion 3 c of the device case 3 is provided with a pen holder section 27 for removably accommodating a touch pen (not shown).
- This pen holder section 27 is formed in an approximately semi-cylindrical shape, and structured such that one end (upper side portion in FIG. 3 ) open is open.
- the detection target section 26 b of the open/close detecting section 26 is provided such that it can move toward or away from the detection element 26 a of the device case 3 .
- a case stop section 28 is provided on one side portion of the second flat section 8 of the protective cover 1 opposite to the coupling section 9 .
- This case stop section 28 is formed in a flexible tongue shape, and has a flat-plate-shaped magnet 28 a provided in its tip portion.
- the case stop section 28 is structured to be attached to a magnetic plate 29 a in the first flat section 7 when the tip portion is folded to be placed below the lower surface of the first flat section 7 .
- the case stop section 28 is also structured to be attached to a magnetic plate 29 b in the second flat section 8 when the tip portion is folded to be placed above the upper surface of the second flat section 8 .
- paired corner bands 8 c for temporarily holding a writing paper sheet as the subject 6 are provided at corners on both sides of the side portion of the second flat section 8 opposite to the coupling section 9 .
- the protective cover 1 is unfolded and developed, and the back surface 3 d of the device case 3 is placed corresponding to the device mount plate 14 provided on the first flat section 7 of the protective cover 1 .
- the device case 3 is mounted on the device mount plate 14 by the position regulating hook section 15 .
- the one side portion 3 b of the device case 3 where the imaging section 5 of the device case 3 is located is pinched between the paired pinching hooks 16 of the position regulating hook section 15 , and thereby regulates the mount position of the device case 3 relative to the device mount plate 14 .
- the protective cover 1 is folded at the coupling section 9 to cause the second flat section 8 to be arranged on the front surface 3 a of the device case 3 .
- the second flat section 8 and the coupling section 9 rotate around the second hinge 22 with respect to the first flat section 7 . Then, when the second flat section 8 is tilted to the predetermined angle ⁇ relative to the first flat section 7 , the closing movement of the second flat section 8 is paused by the pause section 20 , and the click-feeling providing section 23 provides a click feeling to the second flat section 8 .
- the rotating force of the second flat section 8 is slowed by the rotating force of the first hinge 21 , and the pause section 20 pauses the rotation of the second flat section 8 and the coupling section 9 around the second hinge 22 .
- the coupling section 9 corresponds to and covers the side surface portion 3 c of the device case 3
- the second flat section 8 corresponds to and covers the front surface 3 a of the device case 3 .
- the magnet 28 a in the tip of the case stop section 28 is attached to the magnetic plate 29 a in the first flat section 7 .
- second flat section 8 is prevented from being inadvertently opened, and the electronic device 2 is favorably protected by the protective cover 1 when it is carried.
- the case stop section 28 is detached from the lower surface of the first flat section 7 against an attachment force between the magnet 28 a of the case stop section 28 provided to the one side portion of the second flat section 8 and the magnet plate 29 a in the first flat section 7 .
- the case stop section 28 is unfolded to be placed on the back surface of the second flat section 8 , and the magnet 28 a inside the tip portion of the case stop section 28 is attached to the magnet plate 29 b in the second flat section 8 .
- the second flat section 8 is opened to expose the front surface 3 a of the device case 3 .
- the second flat section 8 rotates together with the coupling section 9 about the second hinge 22 to be opened at 180 degrees, and exposes the input display section 4 of the device case 3 .
- the second flat section 8 is further rotated by 180 degrees around the second hinge 22 so as to overlap with the lower surface of the first flat section 7 .
- the electronic device 2 can be favorably used.
- the protective cover 1 is first unfolded and developed on a plane, and the first flat section 7 is rotated around the second hinge 22 with respect to the second flat section 8 so as to stand upright, as depicted in FIG. 8A .
- the standing first flat section 7 is folded at the first folding section 12 so as to project toward the rear of the device case 3 .
- the imaging section 5 of the device case 3 is positioned above, and the side surface portion 3 c below the device case 3 positioned opposite thereto is placed above the second flat section 8 .
- the device case 3 is diagonally tilted to be leaned against the protective cover 1 .
- an edge of the side surface portion 3 c positioned below the device case 3 is engaged with either one of the first position regulating groove 8 a and the second position regulating groove 8 b provided on the second flat section 8 selectively, whereby the tilt angle of the device case 3 is adjusted.
- the tilt of the device case 3 is slight.
- the tilt of the device case 3 is steep.
- the device case 3 is leaned at a steeper angle.
- the second flat section 8 is folded at the second folding section 13 with the device case 3 being covered and protected by the protective cover 1 , as depicted in FIG. 8B .
- the second flat section 8 is folded into two, and the folded portions are overlapped with each other.
- the electronic device 2 is held with one hand together with the protective cover 1 , and the recording paper sheet such as a writing paper sheet is placed on the uppermost surface of the overlapping portions of the second flat section 8 .
- a memo can be written.
- the protective cover 1 is once unfolded and developed on a plane.
- the first flat section 7 is rotated around the second hinge 22 , and folded at the first folding section 12 downward relative to the device case 3 , and the folded portions are overlapped with each other, as depicted in FIG. 8C .
- imaging of the subject 6 such as a memo or a business card recorded on a recording paper sheet, by the imaging section 5 is described.
- the electronic device 2 is set at an imaging mode so that imaging by the imaging section 5 can be performed.
- the protective cover 1 is unfolded and developed on a plane, and the subject 6 is placed on the second flat section 8 of the developed protective cover 1 .
- the subject 6 is fixed by being inserted below the corner bands 80 c of the second flat section 8 .
- the second flat section 8 is rotated together with the coupling section 9 around the second hinge 22 so as to be tilted toward the front surface 3 a of the device case 3 .
- the second flat section 8 rotates around the second hinge 22 and, when the second flat section 8 is tilted to the predetermined angle ⁇ with respect to the first flat section 7 , the closing movement of the second flat section 8 is paused by the pause section 20 , and the click-feeling providing section 23 provides a click feeling to the second flat section 8 .
- the open/close detecting section 26 detects an open/close angle of the second flat section 8 .
- the detection target section 26 b that is the magnet provided in the protective cover 1
- the detection element 26 a that is the magnetic sensor such as a Hall element provided in the device case 3
- the detection element 26 a detects a magnetic field of the detection target section 26 b and outputs an electric signal for causing the imaging section 5 to perform imaging.
- the subject 6 such as the recording paper sheet containing a memo or a business card is imaged by the imaging section 5 .
- the present invention is not limited thereto, and the subject 6 can be imaged even when, for example, the electronic device 2 is leaned against the protective cover 1 .
- the first flat section 7 is rotated around the first hinge 21 to stand upright, and the standing first flat section 7 is folded at the first folding section 12 so as to project toward the rear of the device case 3 .
- the device case 3 is diagonally tilted and leaned against the protective cover 1 .
- the subject 6 such as a recording paper sheet containing a memo or a business card is placed in front of the electronic device 2 , and a switch for imaging (not shown) is turned ON. As a result, the subject 6 can be imaged by the imaging section 5 .
- the electronic device of the present embodiment is provided with the first flat section 7 where the back surface 34 of the flat-type electronic device 2 is placed, the second flat section 8 which openably and closably covers the front surface 3 a of the electronic device 2 , and the coupling section 9 which foldably couples the first flat section 7 and the second flat section 8 together.
- the first flat section 7 is provided with the first folding section 12 in parallel with the coupling section 9 and the second flat section 8 is provided with the second folding section 13 in parallel with the coupling section 9 .
- the front surface 3 a of the electronic device 2 placed on the first flat section 7 can be openably and closably covered by the second flat section 8 .
- the first folding section 12 of the first flat section 7 and the second folding section 13 of the second flat section 8 can be selectively folded in accordance with the use state of the electronic device 2 .
- the second flat section 8 is rotated around the second hinge 22 of the coupling section 9 and overlapped with the lower surface of the first flat section 7 .
- the input display section 4 of the device case 3 can be touched with the device case 3 and the second flat section 8 being pinched with one hand, and the device can be used favorably.
- the first flat section 7 is rotated with respect to the second flat section 8 about the second hinge 22 of the coupling section 9 so as to stand upright, and the standing first flat section 7 is folded at the first folding section 12 to project toward the rear of the device case 3 .
- the imaging section 5 of the device case 3 is positioned above, and the side surface portion 3 c below the device case 3 positioned opposite thereto is placed on the second flat section 8 . Accordingly, the device case 3 can be used with it being tilted and leaned against the protective cover 1 for use.
- the second flat section 8 is provided with the first position regulating groove 8 a and the second position regulating groove 8 b which engage with the edge of the side surface portion 3 c positioned below the device case 3 .
- the tilt angle of the device case 3 can be adjusted in accordance with a use situation.
- the tilt of the device case 3 is slight.
- the device case 3 is leaned at a steeper angle.
- the second flat section 8 is folded at the second folding section 13 with the device case 3 being covered and protected by the protective cover 1 .
- the second flat section 8 is folded into two, and the folded portions are overlapped with each other.
- the electronic device 2 is held with one hand together with the protective cover 1 , and the recording paper sheet such as a writing paper sheet is placed on the uppermost surface of the overlapping portions of the second flat section 8 .
- a memo can be written.
- the first flat section 7 is rotated around the second hinge 22 of the coupling section 9 , and folded at the first folding section 12 downward relative to the device case 3 , and the folded portions are overlapped with each other. Then, a recording paper sheet is interposed between a half of the first flat section 7 folded and positioned below and the second flat section 8 , and thereby partially projects from the device case 3 . As a result, the input display section 4 of the device case 3 can be touched while the memo written on the projected recording paper sheet is being viewed.
- the first flat section 7 is provided with the device mount plate 14 for removably mounting the electronic device 2 on the first flat section 7 . Accordingly, although the first flat section 7 has the first folding section 12 provided therein, the electronic device 2 can be reliably and favorably mounted on the first flat section 7 by the device mount plate 14 in a stable state.
- the device mount plate 14 is provided with the position regulating hook section 15 with which the electronic device 2 is removably engaged and which regulates the mount position of the electronic device 2 . Accordingly, when the electronic device 2 is to be mounted on the device mount plate 14 , it can be reliably and favorably mounted on the device mount plate 14 by accurate positional regulation by the position regulating hook section 15 .
- This position regulating hook sections 15 includes the paired pinching hooks 16 which pinch the side surface portion 3 b of the electronic device 2 positioned opposite to the coupling section 9 of the protective cover 1 , and the engaging hook 18 which removably engages with the engaging section 17 provided at each of four corners of the back surface 3 d of the electronic device 2 . Accordingly, the electronic device 2 can be simply and easily mounted on the device mount plate 14 .
- the mount position of the device case 3 with respect to the device mount plate 14 can be accurately and reliably regulated by the one side portion 3 b of the device case 3 where the imaging section 5 is positioned in the device case 3 of the electronic device 2 being pinched by the paired pinching hooks 16 of the position regulating hook section 15 .
- the engaging hook 18 can be reliably engaged with the engaging section 17 of the device case 3 , whereby the device case 3 can be reliably and favorably mounted on the device mount plate 14 .
- the engaging section 17 of the electronic device 2 includes the recess 17 a provided at each of the four corners of the back surface 3 d of the device case 3 of the electronic device 2 , and the engaging bridge section 17 b provided in the recess 17 a . Accordingly, only by the device case 3 being pushed onto the device mount plate 14 , the engaging hook 18 can be easily and reliably engaged with the engaging bridge section 17 b of the engaging section 17 .
- the band (not shown) can be inserted between the bottom of the recess 17 a and the lower surface of the engaging bridge section 17 b for mounting on the device case 3 , by which the device case 3 can be carried.
- the second flat section 8 can be paused by the pause section 20 at the predetermined tilt angle ⁇ when the front surface 3 a of the electronic device 2 placed on the first flat section 7 is covered by the second flat section 8 . Therefore, imaging timing of the imaging section 5 of the electronic device 2 can be ensured. As a result, the subject 6 such as a recording paper sheet or business card placed on the second flat section 8 can be accurately and favorably imaged always in a predetermined state.
- the open/close detecting section 26 detects an open/close angle of the second flat section 8 with respect to the first flat section 7 and outputs a detection signal for causing the imaging section 5 to perform imaging. Therefore, imaging timing of the imaging section 5 can be kept constant. In addition, the pause of the second flat section 8 generates sufficient imaging timing, whereby the subject 6 can be reliably and favorably imaged.
- the protective cover 1 includes a pause section 30 structured differently from the first embodiment. Except for this point, the protective cover 1 is approximately identical in structure to that of the first embodiment.
- the pause section 30 is structured to include a first magnet 31 provided to the first flat section 7 positioned on one side portion of the coupling section 9 of the protective cover 1 and a second magnet 32 provided to the second flat section 8 positioned on the other side portion of the coupling section 9 .
- the first magnet 31 and the second magnet 32 being attached to each other by magnetic force, the second flat section 8 is protected in a predetermined state with respect to the first flat section 7 .
- the first flat section 7 and the coupling section 9 are coupled together via the cover sheet 11 covering the intermediate plate 10 of the first flat section 7 and the intermediate plate 10 of the coupling section 9 .
- the cover sheet 11 By this cover sheet 11 being folded, the first flat section 7 and the coupling section 9 can be freely folded.
- the second flat section 8 and the coupling section 9 are coupled together via the cover sheet 11 covering the intermediate plate 10 of the second flat section 8 and the intermediate plate 10 of the coupling section 9 .
- the cover sheet 11 By this cover sheet 11 being folded, the second flat section 8 and the coupling section 9 can be freely folded.
- the first magnet 31 of the pause section 30 includes a first tilt section 33 for tilting and holding the second flat section 8 at the predetermined angle ⁇ with respect to the first flat section 7 , and a second tilt section 34 which positionally regulates the second flat section 8 when the second flat section 8 covers and closes the front surface 3 a of the device case 3 , as depicted in FIG. 9 to FIG. 11 .
- the thickness of the first magnet 31 is formed to have a height lower than the width of the coupling section 9 , or in other words, a height approximately equal to the thickness of the device case 3 , as depicted in FIG. 9 to FIG. 11 .
- the first tilt section 33 of the first magnet 31 is formed to be tilted upward to the right from the end of the first magnet 31 positioned on the coupling section 9 side toward the device case 3 side.
- a projection 33 a for regulating the position of the second magnet 32 is formed on the upper portion of the first tilt section 33 .
- the second tilt section 34 of the first magnet 31 includes a tilt section 34 a tilted downward to the right from the upper end of the first tilt section 33 toward the device case 3 side, and a flat section 34 b flatly extending from the tilt section 34 a toward the device case 3 side, as depicted in FIG. 9 to FIG. 11 .
- the tilt section 34 a and flat section 34 b are formed in a row on the upper portion of the first magnet 31 .
- the second magnet 32 includes a third tilt section 35 for tilting and holding the second flat section 8 at the predetermined angle ⁇ with respect to the first flat section 7 by being attached to the first tilt section 33 of the first magnet 31 , and a fourth tilt section 36 which positionally regulates the second flat section 8 by being attached to the second tilt section 34 of the first magnet 31 when the second flat section 8 covers and closes the front surface 3 a of the device case 3 , as depicted in FIG. 9 to FIG. 11 .
- the second magnet 32 is formed to have a thin thickness so that, when the second flat section 8 covers the front surface 3 a of the device case 3 and overlaps with the first magnet 31 , both thicknesses are slightly higher than the width of the coupling section 9 , or in other words, the thickness of the device case 3 .
- the third tilt section 35 of the second magnet 32 is an end face of the second magnet 32 positioned on the coupling section 9 side, and is structured to tilt and hold the second flat section 8 at the predetermined angle ⁇ with respect to the first flat section 7 when it is attached onto the first tilt section 33 of the first magnet 31 .
- the fourth tilt section 36 of the second magnet 32 includes a rising tilt section 36 a tilted upward to the right from the upper end of the third tilt section 35 toward the side opposite to the coupling section 9 , a groove section 36 b positioned on the upper portion of the rising tilt section 36 a , a falling tilt section 360 tilted downward to the right from the groove section 36 b toward the side opposite to the coupling section 9 , and a flat section 36 d flatly extending from the falling tilt section 36 c toward the side opposite to the coupling section 9 , as depicted in FIG. 11 .
- the rising tilt section 36 a , the groove section 36 b , the falling tilt section 360 , and the flat section 36 d are formed in a row on the upper portion of the second magnet 32 .
- the rising tilt section 36 a corresponds to and is attached to the first tilt section 33
- the groove section 36 b corresponds to and is attached to the projection 33 a of the first tilt section 33
- the falling tilt section 36 c corresponds to and is attached to the tilt section 34 a of the second tilt section 34
- the flat section 36 d corresponds to and is attached to the flat section 34 b of the second tilt section 34
- the fourth tilt section 36 regulates the position of the second magnet 32 with respect to the first magnet 31 in the front and back direction of the device case 3 (a horizontal direction in FIG. 11 ), as depicted in FIG. 11 .
- the second flat section 8 is folded at the coupling section 9 and thereby placed on the front surface 3 a of the device case 3 .
- the protective cover 1 is folded between the first flat section 7 and the coupling section 9 and between the second flat section 8 and the coupling section 9 , whereby the closing movement of the second flat section 8 is paused by the pause section 30 , and the second flat section 8 is held with the second flat section 8 being tilted at the predetermined angle ⁇ with respect to the first flat section 7 .
- the second magnet 32 of the second flat section 8 serving as the pause section 30 is brought closer to the first magnet 31 of the first flat section 7 , and the third tilt section 35 of the second magnet 32 corresponds to and is attached to the first tilt section 33 of the first magnet 31 , whereby the second flat section 8 is held at the predetermined angle ⁇ with respect to the first flat section 7 .
- a corner of the third tilt section 35 of the second magnet 32 abuts on the projection 33 a on the upper portion of the first tilt section 33 of the first magnet 31 for positional regulation. Therefore, the third tilt section 35 of the second magnet 32 can be attached to a predetermined position of the first tilt section 33 of the first magnet 31 , whereby the second flat section 8 can be tilted and held at the predetermined position and at the predetermined angle ⁇ .
- the rising tilt section 36 a of the fourth tilt section 36 of the second magnet 32 corresponds to and is attached to the first tilt section 33
- the groove section 36 b of the fourth tilt section 36 corresponds to and is attached to the projection 33 a of the first tilt section 33
- the falling tilt section 36 c of the fourth tilt section 36 corresponds to and is attached to the tilt section 34 a of the second tilt section 34
- the flat section 36 d of the fourth tilt section 36 corresponds to and is attached to the flat section 34 b of the second tilt section 34 .
- the second magnet 32 is reliably and positionally regulated with respect to the first magnet 31 without a positional shift to the front and back direction of the device case 3 (horizontal direction in FIG. 11 ), whereby the second flat section 8 reliably corresponds to and covers the front surface 3 a of the device case 3 so that the closed state is kept.
- the second flat section 8 is prevented from being inadvertently opened.
- the second flat section 8 is opened to expose the front surface 3 a of the device case 3 .
- the second flat section 8 when the second flat section 8 is rotated against the attachment force by the magnetic force between the first magnet 31 and the second magnet 32 of the pause section 30 , the second magnet 32 rotates with respect to the first magnet 31 with the corner of the third tilt section 35 of the second magnet 32 as a pivot.
- the portion between the first flat section 7 and the coupling section 9 is folded.
- the second flat section 8 is rotated by 180 degrees and opened to be in a developed state, whereby the input display section 4 of the device case 3 is exposed.
- either one of the portion between the first flat section 7 and the coupling section 9 and the portion between the second flat section 8 and the coupling section 9 is folded to further rotate the second flat section 8 by 180 degrees and overlaps it with the lower surface of the first flat section 7 .
- the device case 3 and the second flat section 8 are held with one hand to be pinched, and the input display section 4 of the device case 3 is touched, whereby the electronic device 2 can be favorably used.
- the protective cover 1 is first unfolded and developed on a plane. Then, in this state, the portion between the first flat section 7 and the coupling section 9 is folded to rotate the first flat section 7 with respect to the second flat section 8 and cause the first flat section 7 to stand upright, as depicted in FIG. 12 .
- the first tilt section 33 of the first magnet 31 corresponds to and is attached to the rising tilt section 36 a of the fourth tilt section 36 of the second magnet 32
- the projection 33 a of the first tilt section 33 of the first magnet 31 corresponds to and is attached to the groove section 36 b of the fourth tilt section 36 of the second magnet 32 .
- the first flat section 7 can be held upright with respect to the second flat section 8 .
- the standing first flat section 7 is folded at the first folding section 12 to project toward the rear of the device case 3 .
- the imaging section 5 of the device case 3 is positioned above, and the side surface portion 3 c below the device case 3 positioned opposite thereto is placed on the second flat section 8 .
- the device case 3 is tilted to be leaned against the protective cover 1 .
- the edge of the side surface portion 3 c positioned below the device case 3 is engaged with either one of the first position regulating groove 8 a and the second position regulating groove 8 b provided on the second flat section 8 selectively, whereby the tilt angle of the device case 3 is adjusted, as in the case of the first embodiment.
- the tilt of the device case 3 is slight.
- the device case 3 can be leaned at a steeper angle.
- the second flat section 8 is folded at the second folding section 13 with the device case 3 being covered and protected by the protective cover 1 , as with the first embodiment. Then, the second flat section 8 is folded into two, and the folded portions are overlapped with each other.
- the electronic device 2 is held with one hand together with the protective cover 1 , and the recording paper sheet such as a writing paper sheet is placed on the uppermost surface of the overlapping portions of the second flat section 8 .
- a memo can be written.
- the protective cover 1 is once unfolded and developed on a plane.
- the portion between the first flat section 7 and the coupling section 9 is folded to rotate the first flat section 7
- the first flat section 7 is folded at the first folding section 12 downward relative to the device case 3
- the folded portions are overlapped with each other, as in the case of the first embodiment.
- imaging of the subject 6 such as a memo or a business card recorded on a recording paper sheet, by the imaging section 5 is described.
- the electronic device 2 is set at an imaging mode so that imaging by the imaging section 5 can be performed.
- the protective cover 1 is unfolded and developed on a plane, and the subject 6 is placed on the second flat section 8 of the developed protective cover 1 .
- the subject 6 is fixed by being inserted below the corner bands 8 c of the second flat section 8 .
- the second magnet 32 of the second flat section 8 as the pause section 30 is brought closer to the first magnet 31 of the first flat section 7 , and the third tilt section 35 of the second magnet 32 corresponds to and is attached to the first tilt section 33 of the first magnet 31 to hold the second flat section 8 with it tilted at the predetermined angle ⁇ with respect to the first flat section 7 .
- the corner of the third tilt section 35 of the second magnet 32 abuts on the projection 33 a positioned on the upper portion of the first tilt section 33 of the first magnet 31 for positional regulation. Therefore, the third tilt section 35 of the second magnet 32 can be attached to the predetermined position of the first tilt section 33 of the first magnet 31 , whereby the second flat section 8 can be tilted and held at the predetermined position and at the predetermined angle ⁇ .
- the open/close detecting section 26 detects an open/close angle of the second flat section 8 .
- the detection target section 26 b that is the magnet provided in the protective cover 1 is brought closer to the detection element 26 a that is the magnetic sensor such as a Hall element provided in the device case 3 , and the detection element 26 a detects a magnetic field of the detection target section 26 b and outputs an electric signal for causing the imaging section 5 to perform imaging.
- the subject 6 such as the recording paper sheet containing a memo or a business card is imaged by the imaging section 5 .
- the present invention is not limited thereto, and the subject 6 can be imaged even when, for example, the electronic device 2 is leaned against the protective cover 1 .
- the portion between the second flat section 8 and the coupling section 9 is folded to rotate the first flat section 7 and cause the first flat section 7 to stand upright.
- the first tilt section 33 of the first magnet 31 corresponds to and is attached to the rising tilt section 36 a of the fourth tilt section 36 of the second magnet 32
- the projection 33 a of the first tilt section 33 of the first magnet 31 corresponds to and is attached to the groove section 36 b of the fourth tilt section 36 of the second magnet 32 .
- the first flat section 7 can be held upright with respect to the second flat section 8 .
- the subject 6 such as a recording paper sheet or business card containing a memo is placed in front of the electronic device 2 , and a switch for imaging (not shown) is turned ON. As a result, the subject 6 can be imaged by the imaging section 6 .
- the front surface 3 a of the electronic device 2 placed on the first flat section 7 can be openably and closably covered by the second flat section 8 , and the first folding section 12 of the first flat section 7 and the second folding section 13 of the second flat section 8 can be selectively folded in accordance with the use state of the electronic device 2 , as in the case of the first embodiment.
- the electronic device which is user-friendly and can be used according to various use situations is provided.
- the electronic device 2 can be operated with it being held with one hand.
- the electronic device 2 can be used with it being leaned against the protective cover 1 .
- the second flat section 8 is provided with the first position regulating groove 8 a and the second position regulating groove 8 b that engage with the edge of the side surface portion 3 c positioned below the device case 3 . Accordingly, by the edge of the side surface portion 3 c positioned below the device case 3 being engaged with one of the first position regulating groove 8 a and the second position regulating groove 8 b provided on the second flat section 8 selectively, the tilt angle of the device case 3 can be adjusted according to a use situation.
- the second flat section 8 is folded at the second folding section 13 with the device case 3 being covered and protected by the protective cover 1 , the second flat section 8 is folded into two and the folded portions are overlapped with each other, whereby a memo can be written on a recording paper sheet such as a writing paper sheet serving as the subject 6 while the electronic device 2 is being held with one hand.
- the folded portions are overlapped with each other.
- a recording paper sheet is interposed between the half of the first flat section 7 folded and positioned below and the second flat section 8 , it is partially projected from the device case 3 , whereby the input display section 4 of the electronic device 2 can be touched while the memo written on the projected recording paper sheet is being viewed.
- the pause section 30 includes the first magnet 31 provided to the first flat section 7 positioned at one side portion of the coupling section 9 , and the second magnet 32 provided to the second flat section 8 positioned at another side portion of the coupling section 9 .
- the first magnet 31 and the second magnet 32 attach to each other by the magnetic force so as to hold the second flat section 8 with it tilted at the predetermined angle ⁇ with respect to the first flat section 7 .
- imaging timing of the imaging section 5 of the electronic device 2 is ensured and thereby imaging is accurately and favorably performed, as with the first embodiment.
- the second flat section 8 can be paused at the predetermined angle ⁇ by the pause section 30 when the front surface 3 a of the electronic device 2 placed on the first flat section 7 is covered with the second flat section 8 , as in the case of the first embodiment. Therefore, imaging timing of the imaging section 5 of the electronic device 2 can be ensured, whereby the subject 6 such as a recording paper sheet or a business card placed on the second flat section 8 can be accurately and favorably imaged always in a predetermined state.
- the open/close detecting section 26 detects an open/close angle of the second flat section 8 with respect to the first flat section 7 , and outputs a detection signal for causing the imaging section 5 to perform imaging, as in the case of the first embodiment. Therefore, imaging timing of the imaging section 5 can be kept constant. Also, the pause of the second flat section 8 generates sufficient imaging timing, whereby the subject 6 can be reliably and favorably imaged.
- the detection element 26 a of the open/close detecting section 26 is a magnetic sensor such as a Hall element, and the detection target section 26 b is a magnet.
- the present invention is not limited thereto.
- an optical sensor may be used in which the detection element is constituted by a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, and the detection target section is constituted by a reflecting section.
- the optical sensor detects an open/close angle of the protective cover 1 by reflecting light from the light-emitting element of the detection element at the reflecting section of the detection target section and receiving the reflected light at the light-receiving element of the detection element.
- the open/close detecting section is not limited to those described above.
- a mechanical switch section may be used in which the detection element is constituted by a micro switch and the detection target section which pushes the micro switch serving as the detection element is constituted by a part of the coupling section 9 .
- the present invention is applied to a tablet terminal device as the electronic device 2 .
- the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be applied to a flat-type electronic device having a keyboard section and a display section arranged on a plane.
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Abstract
Description
- This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-163474, filed Jul. 24, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to electronic devices such as portable information terminal devices.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- For example, a flat-type electronic device is known, which is structured to include a case cover section where the device body is placed and a lid cover section rotatably mounted on the case cover section to cover the front surface of the device body, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) Publication No. 2007-127980.
- This type of electronic device is structured such that the lid cover section rotates to openably and closably cover the front surface of the device body, with the device body being accommodated in the case cover section formed approximately in a box or frame shape. This is merely a structure where the lid cover section only opens and closes, which is inconvenient in that various usage according to use situations cannot be achieved.
- The present invention is to allow usage according to various use situations and enhance usability.
- In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device comprising: a first flat section which is positioned on a back surface side of a flat-type device body; a second flat section which openably and closably covers a front surface of the device body; and a coupling section which couples the first flat section and the second flat section together such that the first flat section and the second flat section are foldable, wherein the first flat section has a first folding section provided in parallel with the coupling section, and the second flat section has a second folding section provided in parallel with the coupling section.
- According to the present invention, the front surface of the device body positioned on the first flat section can be openably and closably covered by the second flat section. In addition, the first folding section of the first flat section and the second folding section of the second flat section can be selectively folded according to the use situation of the device body. Therefore, usage according to various use situations is possible, whereby usability is enhanced.
- The above and further objects and novel features of the present invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description when the same is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment in use, in which the present invention has been applied to an electronic device; -
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a protective cover and the electronic device depicted inFIG. 1 when they are detached; -
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the protective cover depicted inFIG. 2 when it is unfolded and developed; -
FIG. 4A andFIG. 4B each depict a cross section of the protective cover depicted inFIG. 3 , of whichFIG. 4A is a sectional view of the protective cover taken along line A-A inFIG. 3 , andFIG. 4B is an enlarged sectional view of the main portion taken along line B-B inFIG. 3 ; -
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the back surface side of the electronic device depicted inFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 6A andFIG. 6B depict an engaging section of the device case depicted inFIG. 5 , of whichFIG. 6A is an enlarged view of the main portion thereof, andFIG. 6B is an enlarged sectional view of the main portion taken along line C-C; -
FIG. 7A andFIG. 7B depict a click-feeling providing section depicted inFIG. 2 , of whichFIG. 7A is an enlarged perspective view thereof andFIG. 7B is an enlarged sectional view of the main portion thereof taken along line D-D; -
FIG. 8A toFIG. 8C each depict a use mode of the protective cover depicted inFIG. 2 , of whichFIG. 8A is a side view depicting the state in which the electronic device is leaned against the protective cover,FIG. 8B is a side view depicting the state in which the protective cover is used as a paper table for recording paper sheets, andFIG. 8C is a side view depicting the state in which the electronic device is used with a recording paper sheet interposed between the protective cover and the device case; -
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a second embodiment in use, in which the present invention has been applied to an electronic device; -
FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of the main portion of a pause section of the protective cover depicted inFIG. 9 ; -
FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of the main portion of the pause section when the front surface of the device case is covered and closed by a second flat section of the protective cover depicted inFIG. 10 ; and -
FIG. 12 is a side view depicting the state in which the electronic device is used by being leaned against the protective cover depicted inFIG. 9 . - A first embodiment in which the present invention has been applied to an electronic device is described below with reference to
FIG. 1 toFIG. 8C . - As depicted in
FIG. 1 andFIG. 2 , aprotective cover 1 is foldable and covers a flat-typeelectronic device 2 for protection. - In this case, the
electronic device 2 is a tablet terminal device, and includes a flat-plate-shaped device case 3. Thedevice case 3 has afront surface 3 a provided with aninput display section 4 and animaging section 5. - As depicted in
FIG. 1 andFIG. 2 , theinput display section 4 is structured by a display panel being placed on the lower surface of a touch panel, and is placed over an approximately entire area of thefront surface 3 a of thedevice case 3. - The
input display section 4 is structured so that when the touch panel is touched while information displayed on the display panel is being viewed, display contents are switched and other information is inputted. - The
imaging section 5 is a digital camera section and, as depicted inFIG. 1 andFIG. 2 , is provided at oneside portion 3 b of thefront surface 3 a of thedevice case 3. - That is, as depicted in
FIG. 1 , theimaging section 5 is structured to image asubject 6 placed on anotherside portion 3 c side of thedevice case 3 across theinput display section 4. - In this case, the
subject 6 is, for example, a business card or a writing paper sheet containing a memo. - On the other hand, the
protective cover 1 includes a firstflat section 7 where theback surface 3 d of theelectronic device 2 is placed, a secondflat section 8 which openably and closably covers thefront surface 3 a of theelectronic device 2, and acoupling section 9 which foldably couples the firstflat section 7 and the secondflat section 8 together. - As depicted in
FIG. 4A andFIG. 4B , the firstflat section 7, the secondflat section 8, and thecoupling section 9 are each structured by anintermediate plate 10 made of synthetic resin and acover sheet 11 covering theintermediate plate 10. - That is, the
intermediate plate 10 is made of hard synthetic resin such as polypropylene, and is formed for each of the firstflat section 7, the secondflat section 8, and thecoupling section 9 independently. - The
cover sheet 11 is made of synthetic leather, natural leather, soft synthetic resin, or the like, and is formed to cover along theintermediate plates 10 of the firstflat section 7, the secondflat section 8, and thecoupling section 9. - As a result, as depicted in
FIG. 3 ,FIG. 4A , andFIG. 4B , theprotective cover 1 is structured to be foldable at a portion between the firstflat section 7 and thecoupling section 9 coupled together and a portion between the secondflat section 8 and thecoupling section 9 coupled together, via thecover sheet 11. - Here, a
first folding section 12 is provided at a middle portion of the firstflat section 7 in parallel with a folding direction relative to thecoupling section 9, and asecond folding section 13 is also provided at a middle portion of the secondflat section 8 in parallel with the folding direction relative to thecoupling section 9. - Accordingly, as depicted in
FIG. 4A andFIG. 4B , the firstflat section 7 is structured such that theintermediate plate 10 is divided into left and right sides with thefirst folding section 12 as a boundary, and the portions obtained by the division are coupled together such that the firstflat section 7 can be folded via thecover sheet 11. - Similarly, the second
flat section 8 is structured such that theintermediate plate 10 is divided into left and right sides with thesecond folding section 13 as a boundary, and the portions obtained by the division are coupled together such that the secondflat section 8 can be folded via thecover sheet 11. - Here, as depicted in
FIG. 1 toFIG. 4A andFIG. 4B , the firstflat section 7 is formed to have an area slightly larger than that of theback surface 3 d of theelectronic device 2. The secondflat section 8 is formed to have an area slightly larger than thefront surface 3 a of theelectronic device 2 and dimensions approximately equal to those of the firstflat section 7. - On a portion of the second
flat section 8 located opposite to thecoupling section 9 and away from thesecond folding section 13, a firstposition regulating groove 8 a and a secondposition regulating groove 8 b are provided in a manner to be a predetermined distance away from each other and in parallel with thecoupling section 9. Thecoupling section 9 is formed to have an area slightly larger than a side surface portion of theelectronic device 2. - As depicted in
FIG. 2 toFIG. 4A andFIG. 4B , the firstflat section 7 is provided with adevice mount plate 14 where theelectronic device 2 is removably mounted. - Here, the
device mount plate 14 is formed to have dimensions approximately equal to theback surface 3 d of thedevice case 3. Thedevice mount plate 14 is mounted on only a half of the firstflat section 7 located opposite to thecoupling section 9 with thefirst folding section 12 as a boundary. - As depicted in
FIG. 2 toFIG. 4A andFIG. 4B , thedevice mount plate 14 is provided with a position regulatinghook section 15 which regulates a mount position of theelectronic device 2 by being removably engaged with theelectronic device 2. - The position regulating
hook section 15 includes paired pinching hooks 16 which pinch the oneside portion 3 b of thedevice case 3 positioned opposite to thecoupling section 9, or in other words, the oneside portion 3 b of thedevice case 3 where theimaging section 5 is positioned, and a plurality of engaginghooks 18 which removably engage with engagingsections 17 provided at four corners of theback surface 3 d of thedevice case 3. - As depicted in
FIG. 2 toFIG. 4A andFIG. 4B , the paired pinching hooks 16 are structured to abut on both side portions of theimaging section 5 and the oneside portion 3 b of thedevice case 3 when pinching the oneside portion 3 b of thedevice case 3 positioned on both sides of theimaging section 5, and thereby regulate the mount position of thedevice case 3 with respect to thedevice mount plate 14. - Here, as depicted in
FIG. 5 ,FIG. 6A , andFIG. 6B , the engagingsections 17 of thedevice case 3 haverecesses 17 a provided on four corners of theback surface 3 d of thedevice case 3 and engagingbridge sections 17 b provided in therespective recesses 17 a. - Each
recess 17 a is formed in an approximately oval cone shape elongated from the corner of thedevice case 3 toward the center, and each engagingbridge section 17 b is placed over an area where the oval is divided into two in a longitudinal direction. - As a result, each engaging
section 17 of thedevice case 3 is structured such that the engaginghook 18 of thedevice case 3 is removably engaged with the engagingbridge section 17 b, and a band (not shown) is attached to thedevice case 3 by being inserted in a space between the bottom of therecess 17 a and the lower surface of the engagingbridge section 17 b, whereby thedevice case 3 can be carried, as depicted inFIG. 5 ,FIG. 6A , andFIG. 6B . - As such, as depicted in
FIG. 5 ,FIG. 6A , andFIG. 6B , the position regulatinghook section 15 is structured such that the paired pinching hooks 16 pinch the oneside portion 3 b of thedevice case 3 where theimaging section 5 of thedevice case 3 is positioned so as to regulate the mount position of thedevice case 3 with respect to thedevice mount plate 14. In this state, when thedevice case 3 is pushed to thedevice mount plate 14, the engaginghooks 18 are engaged with the engagingsections 17 of thedevice case 3, and thereby mount thedevice case 3 on thedevice mount plate 14. - As depicted in
FIG. 1 andFIG. 2 , theprotective cover 1 of theelectronic device 2 includes apause section 20 which regulates a closing movement of the secondflat section 8 when the secondflat section 8 is tilted at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the firstflat section 7 so as to cover thefront surface 3 a of theelectronic device 2. - Note that the predetermined angle θ of the second
flat section 8 in association with thepause section 20 is, for example, in a range of 45 degrees to 90 degrees, and is preferably about 60 degrees. - As depicted in
FIG. 3 ,FIG. 4A andFIG. 4B , thepause section 20 includes afirst hinge 21 which rotates by a rotating force equal to or more than a predetermined rotating force and asecond hinge 22 which rotates by a rotating force less than the predetermined rotating force. - The
first hinge 21 is a torque hinge, and is mounted across theintermediate plate 10 of the secondflat section 8 and theintermediate plate 10 of thecoupling section 9. - That is, in the
first hinge 21, pairedmount pieces 21 b are rotatably mounted on ahinge shaft 21 a, as depicted inFIG. 4B . With thehinge shaft 21 a being placed between theintermediate plate 10 of the secondflat section 8 and theintermediate plate 10 of thecoupling section 9, one of themount pieces 21 b is mounted on theintermediate plate 10 of the secondflat section 8 and theother mount piece 21 b is mounted on theintermediate plate 10 of thecoupling section 9. - Here, as depicted in
FIG. 4B , thefirst hinge 21 is structured such that, by a predetermined load being exerted when the pairedmount pieces 21 b rotate about thehinge shaft 21 a, the pairedmount pieces 21 b rotate about thehinge shaft 21 a by the rotating force equal to or more than the predetermined rotating force. - As depicted in
FIG. 4B , thesecond hinge 22 is made of synthetic resin, and is structured such that the pairedmount pieces 22 b integrally coupled are foldable by afolding section 22 a equivalent to a hinge shaft. - That is, the
second hinge 22 is structured such that, with thefolding section 22 a being placed between theintermediate plate 10 of the firstflat section 7 and theintermediate plate 10 of thecoupling section 9, one of themount pieces 22 b is mounted on theintermediate plate 10 of the firstflat section 7 and theother mount piece 22 b is mounted on theintermediate plate 10 of thecoupling section 9. - Here, as depicted in
FIG. 4B , thefolding section 22 a is formed between the pairedmount pieces 22 b such that the thickness thereof is thinner than the thickness of eachmount piece 22 b. - As a result, the
second hinge 22 is structured such that, when the pairedmount pieces 22 b rotate around thefolding section 22 a by thefolding section 22 a being folded, the pairedmount pieces 22 b rotate around thefolding section 22 a by a rotating force less than the predetermined rotating force, that is, a rotating force which rarely causes a load. - As a result, the
pause section 20 is structured to, when the secondflat section 8 is to cover thefront surface 3 a of theelectronic device 2, cause the secondflat section 8 to rotate together with thecoupling section 9 around thesecond hinge 22 with respect to the firstflat section 7, pause the secondflat section 8 at the predetermined tilt angle θ, and then cause the secondflat section 8 to rotate around thefirst hinge 21 with respect to thecoupling section 9, as depicted inFIG. 1 toFIG. 4A andFIG. 4B . - As depicted in
FIG. 1 andFIG. 2 , theprotective cover 1 includes a click-feeling providing section 23 which provides a click-feeling to the secondflat section 8 when the secondflat section 8 is paused at the predetermined tilt angle θ with respect to the firstflat section 7. - This click-
feeling providing section 23 includes aclick body 24 and anarm section 25, as depicted inFIG. 7A andFIG. 7B . - The
click body 24 is structured such that a slidingsection 24 b is placed in abody section 24 a provided on thecoupling section 9 is retractable by the spring force of acoil spring 24 c, as depicted inFIG. 7A , andFIG. 7B . - The
arm section 25 is provided to the firstflat section 7, and is structured such that, when the secondflat section 8 rotates with thecoupling section 9 at the predetermined tilt angle θ relative to the firstflat section 7, atilt section 25 a at the tip pushes the slidingsection 24 b into thebody section 24 a. - Here, as depicted in
FIG. 7A andFIG. 7B , theclick body 24 is structured such that, when the slidingsection 24 b is pushed by thearm section 25 into thebody section 24, acollar section 24 d of the slidingsection 24 b overshoots aprojection 24 e in thebody section 24 a, and thereby provides a click feeling. - As depicted in
FIG. 1 , theprotective cover 1 is structured such that an open/close angle of theprotective cover 1 is detected by an open/close detectingsection 26 when theprotective cover 1 covers thedevice case 3. - This open/close detecting
section 26 includes adetection element 26 a provided on thedevice case 3, and adetection target section 26 b which is provided on theprotective cover 1 and can move toward or away from thedetection element 26 a of thedevice case 3 in accordance with an opening/closing movement of theprotective cover 1. - The
detection element 26 a is a magnetic sensor such as a Hall element, and provided on a side surface inside thedevice case 3 corresponding to thecoupling section 9 of theprotective cover 1, as depicted inFIG. 1 andFIG. 2 . Thisdetection element 26 a is structured to output an electric signal for causing theimaging section 5 to perform imaging as a detection signal when detecting magnetism. - The
detection target section 26 b is a magnet, and provided on thecoupling section 9 of theprotective cover 1 corresponding to the side surface of thedevice case 3. Thisdetection target section 26 b is structured to be able to move toward or away from thedetection element 26 a of thedevice case 3 in accordance with an opening/closing movement of theprotective cover 1. - As a result, the open/close detecting
section 26 is structured such that, when the secondflat section 8 is tilted to the predetermined angle θ with respect to the firstflat section 7 and paused, thedetection element 26 a detects thedetection target section 26 b and outputs an electric signal for causing theimaging section 5 to perform imaging as a detection signal, as depicted inFIG. 1 andFIG. 2 . - Here, as depicted in
FIG. 1 toFIG. 3 , thecoupling section 9 of theprotective cover 1 corresponding to theside surface portion 3 c of thedevice case 3 is provided with apen holder section 27 for removably accommodating a touch pen (not shown). - This
pen holder section 27 is formed in an approximately semi-cylindrical shape, and structured such that one end (upper side portion inFIG. 3 ) open is open. - In the
pen holder section 27, thedetection target section 26 b of the open/close detectingsection 26 is provided such that it can move toward or away from thedetection element 26 a of thedevice case 3. - As depicted in
FIG. 3 , acase stop section 28 is provided on one side portion of the secondflat section 8 of theprotective cover 1 opposite to thecoupling section 9. - This
case stop section 28 is formed in a flexible tongue shape, and has a flat-plate-shapedmagnet 28 a provided in its tip portion. - As a result, the
case stop section 28 is structured to be attached to amagnetic plate 29 a in the firstflat section 7 when the tip portion is folded to be placed below the lower surface of the firstflat section 7. - The
case stop section 28 is also structured to be attached to amagnetic plate 29 b in the secondflat section 8 when the tip portion is folded to be placed above the upper surface of the secondflat section 8. - Also, paired
corner bands 8 c for temporarily holding a writing paper sheet as the subject 6 are provided at corners on both sides of the side portion of the secondflat section 8 opposite to thecoupling section 9. - Next, the operation of the
protective cover 1 is described. - First, the mounting of the
electronic device 2 onto theprotective cover 1 is described. - In this case, the
protective cover 1 is unfolded and developed, and theback surface 3 d of thedevice case 3 is placed corresponding to thedevice mount plate 14 provided on the firstflat section 7 of theprotective cover 1. - In this state, the
device case 3 is mounted on thedevice mount plate 14 by the position regulatinghook section 15. - Here, the one
side portion 3 b of thedevice case 3 where theimaging section 5 of thedevice case 3 is located is pinched between the paired pinching hooks 16 of the position regulatinghook section 15, and thereby regulates the mount position of thedevice case 3 relative to thedevice mount plate 14. - In this state, by the
device case 3 being pushed onto thedevice mount plate 14, the engaginghooks 18 are removably engaged with the engagingsections 17 of thedevice case 3, whereby thedevice case 3 is mounted on thedevice mount plate 14. - Then, when the
electronic device 2 mounted on theprotective cover 1 is to be carried, theprotective cover 1 is folded at thecoupling section 9 to cause the secondflat section 8 to be arranged on thefront surface 3 a of thedevice case 3. - Here, firstly, the second
flat section 8 and thecoupling section 9 rotate around thesecond hinge 22 with respect to the firstflat section 7. Then, when the secondflat section 8 is tilted to the predetermined angle θ relative to the firstflat section 7, the closing movement of the secondflat section 8 is paused by thepause section 20, and the click-feeling providing section 23 provides a click feeling to the secondflat section 8. - That is, when the second
flat section 8 is to cover thefront surface 3 a of theelectronic device 2, if the secondflat section 8 rotates together with thecoupling section 9 with respect to the firstflat section 7 about thesecond hinge 22 rotating by the rotating force less than the predetermined rotating force, and is tilted to the predetermined angle θ relative to the firstflat section 7, the rotating force of the secondflat section 8 is slowed by the rotating force of thefirst hinge 21, and thepause section 20 pauses the rotation of the secondflat section 8 and thecoupling section 9 around thesecond hinge 22. - When the second
flat section 8 is tilted to the predetermined angle θ relative to the firstflat section 7, the slidingsection 24 b of theclick body 24 is pushed by thearm section 25 provided on the firstflat section 7 into thebody section 24 a against the spring force of thecoil spring 24 c, and thecollar section 24 d of the slidingsection 24 b overshoots theprojection 24 e in thebody section 24 a, whereby the click-feeling providing section 23 provides a click feeling. - Then, when the second
flat section 8 is rotated by a rotating force equal to or more than the predetermined rotating force, this time, the secondflat section 8 rotates around thefirst hinge 21 with respect to thecoupling section 9. - With this, the
coupling section 9 corresponds to and covers theside surface portion 3 c of thedevice case 3, and the secondflat section 8 corresponds to and covers thefront surface 3 a of thedevice case 3. - In this state, the
case stop section 28 provided on the one side portion of the secondflat section 8 is folded so that the tip portion thereof is placed below the lower surface of the firstflat section 7. - Then, the
magnet 28 a in the tip of thecase stop section 28 is attached to themagnetic plate 29 a in the firstflat section 7. - As a result, second
flat section 8 is prevented from being inadvertently opened, and theelectronic device 2 is favorably protected by theprotective cover 1 when it is carried. - Next, use of the
electronic device 2 protected by theprotective cover 1 as described above is described. In this case, firstly, thecase stop section 28 is detached from the lower surface of the firstflat section 7 against an attachment force between themagnet 28 a of thecase stop section 28 provided to the one side portion of the secondflat section 8 and themagnet plate 29 a in the firstflat section 7. - Then, the
case stop section 28 is unfolded to be placed on the back surface of the secondflat section 8, and themagnet 28 a inside the tip portion of thecase stop section 28 is attached to themagnet plate 29 b in the secondflat section 8. - In this state, the second
flat section 8 is opened to expose thefront surface 3 a of thedevice case 3. - Here, the second
flat section 8 rotates together with thecoupling section 9 about thesecond hinge 22 to be opened at 180 degrees, and exposes theinput display section 4 of thedevice case 3. - In this state, by the
input display section 4 being touched while information displayed thereon is being viewed, display content can be switched and other information can be inputted. - Here, in a case where the
electronic device 2 is operated by being held with one hand, the secondflat section 8 is further rotated by 180 degrees around thesecond hinge 22 so as to overlap with the lower surface of the firstflat section 7. - In this state, by the
device case 3 and the secondflat section 8 being held with one hand to be pinched and theinput display section 4 of thedevice case 3 being touched, theelectronic device 2 can be favorably used. - In a case where the
electronic device 2 is leaned against theprotective cover 1 and used, theprotective cover 1 is first unfolded and developed on a plane, and the firstflat section 7 is rotated around thesecond hinge 22 with respect to the secondflat section 8 so as to stand upright, as depicted inFIG. 8A . - Then, the standing first
flat section 7 is folded at thefirst folding section 12 so as to project toward the rear of thedevice case 3. As a result, theimaging section 5 of thedevice case 3 is positioned above, and theside surface portion 3 c below thedevice case 3 positioned opposite thereto is placed above the secondflat section 8. In this state, thedevice case 3 is diagonally tilted to be leaned against theprotective cover 1. - Here, an edge of the
side surface portion 3 c positioned below thedevice case 3 is engaged with either one of the firstposition regulating groove 8 a and the secondposition regulating groove 8 b provided on the secondflat section 8 selectively, whereby the tilt angle of thedevice case 3 is adjusted. - For example, when the edge of the
side surface portion 3 c positioned below thedevice case 3 is engaged with the firstposition regulating groove 8 a of the secondflat section 8, the tilt of thedevice case 3 is slight. - Also, when the edge of the
side surface portion 3 c positioned below thedevice case 3 is engaged with the secondposition regulating groove 8 b of the secondflat section 8, the tilt of thedevice case 3 is steep. - Moreover, when the edge of the
side surface portion 3 c positioned below thedevice case 3 is placed on the upper surface of the secondflat section 8 positioned on thecoupling section 9 side of the secondposition regulating groove 8 b, thedevice case 3 is leaned at a steeper angle. - In a case where a memo is required to be written on a recording paper sheet such as a writing paper sheet as the subject 6 while the
electronic device 2 is being held with one hand, the secondflat section 8 is folded at thesecond folding section 13 with thedevice case 3 being covered and protected by theprotective cover 1, as depicted inFIG. 8B . - Then, the second
flat section 8 is folded into two, and the folded portions are overlapped with each other. In this state, theelectronic device 2 is held with one hand together with theprotective cover 1, and the recording paper sheet such as a writing paper sheet is placed on the uppermost surface of the overlapping portions of the secondflat section 8. As a result, a memo can be written. - Also, in a case where a touch operation is required to be performed on the
input display section 4 while a recording paper sheet containing a memo is being viewed, theprotective cover 1 is once unfolded and developed on a plane. In this state, the firstflat section 7 is rotated around thesecond hinge 22, and folded at thefirst folding section 12 downward relative to thedevice case 3, and the folded portions are overlapped with each other, as depicted inFIG. 8C . - Then, since the second
flat section 8 is overlapped below thedevice case 3, a recording paper sheet is interposed between the secondflat section 8 and a half of the firstflat section 7 folded and positioned below, and partially projected from thedevice case 3. Accordingly, a touch operation can be performed on theinput display section 4 of thedevice case 3 while the memo written in the projected recording paper sheet is being viewed. - Next, imaging of the subject 6, such as a memo or a business card recorded on a recording paper sheet, by the
imaging section 5 is described. - Firstly, in a state where the
device case 3 is mounted on thedevice mount plate 14 on the firstflat section 7 of theprotective cover 1, theelectronic device 2 is set at an imaging mode so that imaging by theimaging section 5 can be performed. - Then, the
protective cover 1 is unfolded and developed on a plane, and thesubject 6 is placed on the secondflat section 8 of the developedprotective cover 1. Here, thesubject 6 is fixed by being inserted below the corner bands 80 c of the secondflat section 8. - In this state, as depicted in
FIG. 1 , the secondflat section 8 is rotated together with thecoupling section 9 around thesecond hinge 22 so as to be tilted toward thefront surface 3 a of thedevice case 3. - Here, the second
flat section 8 rotates around thesecond hinge 22 and, when the secondflat section 8 is tilted to the predetermined angle θ with respect to the firstflat section 7, the closing movement of the secondflat section 8 is paused by thepause section 20, and the click-feeling providing section 23 provides a click feeling to the secondflat section 8. - Here, the open/close detecting
section 26 detects an open/close angle of the secondflat section 8. - That is, in the open/close detecting
section 26, when the secondflat section 8 is tilted to the predetermined angle θ with respect to the firstflat section 7, thedetection target section 26 b that is the magnet provided in theprotective cover 1, is brought closer to thedetection element 26 a that is the magnetic sensor such as a Hall element provided in thedevice case 3, and thedetection element 26 a detects a magnetic field of thedetection target section 26 b and outputs an electric signal for causing theimaging section 5 to perform imaging. - As a result, the subject 6 such as the recording paper sheet containing a memo or a business card is imaged by the
imaging section 5. - Note that the present invention is not limited thereto, and the subject 6 can be imaged even when, for example, the
electronic device 2 is leaned against theprotective cover 1. - In this case, as depicted in
FIG. 8A , the firstflat section 7 is rotated around thefirst hinge 21 to stand upright, and the standing firstflat section 7 is folded at thefirst folding section 12 so as to project toward the rear of thedevice case 3. - With this, as depicted in
FIG. 8A , thedevice case 3 is diagonally tilted and leaned against theprotective cover 1. - In this state, the subject 6 such as a recording paper sheet containing a memo or a business card is placed in front of the
electronic device 2, and a switch for imaging (not shown) is turned ON. As a result, the subject 6 can be imaged by theimaging section 5. - As such, the electronic device of the present embodiment is provided with the first
flat section 7 where theback surface 34 of the flat-typeelectronic device 2 is placed, the secondflat section 8 which openably and closably covers thefront surface 3 a of theelectronic device 2, and thecoupling section 9 which foldably couples the firstflat section 7 and the secondflat section 8 together. The firstflat section 7 is provided with thefirst folding section 12 in parallel with thecoupling section 9 and the secondflat section 8 is provided with thesecond folding section 13 in parallel with thecoupling section 9. As a result of this structure, the electronic device which is user-friendly and can be used according to various use situations is provided. - That is, in the electronic device of the present embodiment, the
front surface 3 a of theelectronic device 2 placed on the firstflat section 7 can be openably and closably covered by the secondflat section 8. Also, thefirst folding section 12 of the firstflat section 7 and thesecond folding section 13 of the secondflat section 8 can be selectively folded in accordance with the use state of theelectronic device 2. As a result of this structure, the electronic device which is user-friendly and can be used according to various use situations is provided. - For example, in a case where the
electronic device 2 is held with one hand for operation, the secondflat section 8 is rotated around thesecond hinge 22 of thecoupling section 9 and overlapped with the lower surface of the firstflat section 7. As a result, theinput display section 4 of thedevice case 3 can be touched with thedevice case 3 and the secondflat section 8 being pinched with one hand, and the device can be used favorably. - In a case where the
electronic device 2 is leaned against theprotective cover 1 and used, with theprotective cover 1 being unfolded and developed on a plane, the firstflat section 7 is rotated with respect to the secondflat section 8 about thesecond hinge 22 of thecoupling section 9 so as to stand upright, and the standing firstflat section 7 is folded at thefirst folding section 12 to project toward the rear of thedevice case 3. As a result, theimaging section 5 of thedevice case 3 is positioned above, and theside surface portion 3 c below thedevice case 3 positioned opposite thereto is placed on the secondflat section 8. Accordingly, thedevice case 3 can be used with it being tilted and leaned against theprotective cover 1 for use. - In this case, the second
flat section 8 is provided with the firstposition regulating groove 8 a and the secondposition regulating groove 8 b which engage with the edge of theside surface portion 3 c positioned below thedevice case 3. - Therefore, by engaging the edge of the
side surface portion 3 c positioned below thedevice case 3 with one of the firstposition regulating groove 8 a and the secondposition regulating groove 8 b selectively, the tilt angle of thedevice case 3 can be adjusted in accordance with a use situation. - For example, when the edge of the
side surface portion 3 c positioned below thedevice case 3 is engaged with the firstposition regulating groove 8 a of the secondflat section 8, the tilt of thedevice case 3 is slight. - When the edge of the
side surface portion 3 c positioned below thedevice case 3 is engaged with the secondposition regulating groove 8 b of the secondflat section 8, the tilt of thedevice case 3 is steep. - Moreover, when the edge of the
side surface portion 3 c positioned below thedevice case 3 is placed on the upper surface of the secondflat section 8 positioned on thecoupling section 9 side of the secondposition regulating groove 8 b, thedevice case 3 is leaned at a steeper angle. - In a case where a memo is required to be written on a recording paper sheet such as a writing paper sheet as the subject 6 while the
electronic device 2 is being held with one hand, the secondflat section 8 is folded at thesecond folding section 13 with thedevice case 3 being covered and protected by theprotective cover 1. - Then, the second
flat section 8 is folded into two, and the folded portions are overlapped with each other. - In this state, the
electronic device 2 is held with one hand together with theprotective cover 1, and the recording paper sheet such as a writing paper sheet is placed on the uppermost surface of the overlapping portions of the secondflat section 8. As a result, a memo can be written. - Also, in a case where a touch operation is required to be performed on the
input display section 4 while a recording paper sheet containing a memo is being viewed, with theprotective cover 1 being unfolded and developed on a plane, the firstflat section 7 is rotated around thesecond hinge 22 of thecoupling section 9, and folded at thefirst folding section 12 downward relative to thedevice case 3, and the folded portions are overlapped with each other. Then, a recording paper sheet is interposed between a half of the firstflat section 7 folded and positioned below and the secondflat section 8, and thereby partially projects from thedevice case 3. As a result, theinput display section 4 of thedevice case 3 can be touched while the memo written on the projected recording paper sheet is being viewed. - Also, in the electronic device of the present embodiment, the first
flat section 7 is provided with thedevice mount plate 14 for removably mounting theelectronic device 2 on the firstflat section 7. Accordingly, although the firstflat section 7 has thefirst folding section 12 provided therein, theelectronic device 2 can be reliably and favorably mounted on the firstflat section 7 by thedevice mount plate 14 in a stable state. - In this case, the
device mount plate 14 is provided with the position regulatinghook section 15 with which theelectronic device 2 is removably engaged and which regulates the mount position of theelectronic device 2. Accordingly, when theelectronic device 2 is to be mounted on thedevice mount plate 14, it can be reliably and favorably mounted on thedevice mount plate 14 by accurate positional regulation by the position regulatinghook section 15. - This position regulating
hook sections 15 includes the paired pinching hooks 16 which pinch theside surface portion 3 b of theelectronic device 2 positioned opposite to thecoupling section 9 of theprotective cover 1, and the engaginghook 18 which removably engages with the engagingsection 17 provided at each of four corners of theback surface 3 d of theelectronic device 2. Accordingly, theelectronic device 2 can be simply and easily mounted on thedevice mount plate 14. - That is, with the position regulating
hook section 15, the mount position of thedevice case 3 with respect to thedevice mount plate 14 can be accurately and reliably regulated by the oneside portion 3 b of thedevice case 3 where theimaging section 5 is positioned in thedevice case 3 of theelectronic device 2 being pinched by the paired pinching hooks 16 of the position regulatinghook section 15. In this state, by thedevice case 3 being pushed onto thedevice mount plate 14, the engaginghook 18 can be reliably engaged with the engagingsection 17 of thedevice case 3, whereby thedevice case 3 can be reliably and favorably mounted on thedevice mount plate 14. - In this case, the engaging
section 17 of theelectronic device 2 includes therecess 17 a provided at each of the four corners of theback surface 3 d of thedevice case 3 of theelectronic device 2, and the engagingbridge section 17 b provided in therecess 17 a. Accordingly, only by thedevice case 3 being pushed onto thedevice mount plate 14, the engaginghook 18 can be easily and reliably engaged with the engagingbridge section 17 b of the engagingsection 17. In addition, the band (not shown) can be inserted between the bottom of therecess 17 a and the lower surface of the engagingbridge section 17 b for mounting on thedevice case 3, by which thedevice case 3 can be carried. - Furthermore, in the electronic device of the present embodiment, the second
flat section 8 can be paused by thepause section 20 at the predetermined tilt angle θ when thefront surface 3 a of theelectronic device 2 placed on the firstflat section 7 is covered by the secondflat section 8. Therefore, imaging timing of theimaging section 5 of theelectronic device 2 can be ensured. As a result, the subject 6 such as a recording paper sheet or business card placed on the secondflat section 8 can be accurately and favorably imaged always in a predetermined state. - Thus, in the electronic device of the present embodiment, when the second
flat section 8 is tilted to the predetermined angle θ with respect to the firstflat section 7 and the rotation of the secondflat section 8 is paused by thepause section 20, the open/close detectingsection 26 detects an open/close angle of the secondflat section 8 with respect to the firstflat section 7 and outputs a detection signal for causing theimaging section 5 to perform imaging. Therefore, imaging timing of theimaging section 5 can be kept constant. In addition, the pause of the secondflat section 8 generates sufficient imaging timing, whereby the subject 6 can be reliably and favorably imaged. - Next, a second embodiment in which the present invention has been applied to an electronic device is described with reference to
FIG. 9 toFIG. 12 . - Note that components identical to those of the first embodiment depicted in
FIG. 1 toFIG. 8C are provided with the same reference numerals. - As depicted in
FIG. 9 toFIG. 11 , theprotective cover 1 includes apause section 30 structured differently from the first embodiment. Except for this point, theprotective cover 1 is approximately identical in structure to that of the first embodiment. - That is, as depicted in
FIG. 9 toFIG. 11 , thepause section 30 is structured to include afirst magnet 31 provided to the firstflat section 7 positioned on one side portion of thecoupling section 9 of theprotective cover 1 and asecond magnet 32 provided to the secondflat section 8 positioned on the other side portion of thecoupling section 9. By thefirst magnet 31 and thesecond magnet 32 being attached to each other by magnetic force, the secondflat section 8 is protected in a predetermined state with respect to the firstflat section 7. - In this case, the first
flat section 7 and thecoupling section 9 are coupled together via thecover sheet 11 covering theintermediate plate 10 of the firstflat section 7 and theintermediate plate 10 of thecoupling section 9. By thiscover sheet 11 being folded, the firstflat section 7 and thecoupling section 9 can be freely folded. - Also, the second
flat section 8 and thecoupling section 9 are coupled together via thecover sheet 11 covering theintermediate plate 10 of the secondflat section 8 and theintermediate plate 10 of thecoupling section 9. By thiscover sheet 11 being folded, the secondflat section 8 and thecoupling section 9 can be freely folded. - The
first magnet 31 of thepause section 30 includes afirst tilt section 33 for tilting and holding the secondflat section 8 at the predetermined angle θ with respect to the firstflat section 7, and asecond tilt section 34 which positionally regulates the secondflat section 8 when the secondflat section 8 covers and closes thefront surface 3 a of thedevice case 3, as depicted inFIG. 9 toFIG. 11 . - In this case, the thickness of the
first magnet 31 is formed to have a height lower than the width of thecoupling section 9, or in other words, a height approximately equal to the thickness of thedevice case 3, as depicted inFIG. 9 toFIG. 11 . - The
first tilt section 33 of thefirst magnet 31 is formed to be tilted upward to the right from the end of thefirst magnet 31 positioned on thecoupling section 9 side toward thedevice case 3 side. On the upper portion of thefirst tilt section 33, aprojection 33 a for regulating the position of thesecond magnet 32 is formed. - The
second tilt section 34 of thefirst magnet 31 includes atilt section 34 a tilted downward to the right from the upper end of thefirst tilt section 33 toward thedevice case 3 side, and aflat section 34 b flatly extending from thetilt section 34 a toward thedevice case 3 side, as depicted inFIG. 9 toFIG. 11 . Thetilt section 34 a andflat section 34 b are formed in a row on the upper portion of thefirst magnet 31. - On the other hand, the
second magnet 32 includes athird tilt section 35 for tilting and holding the secondflat section 8 at the predetermined angle θ with respect to the firstflat section 7 by being attached to thefirst tilt section 33 of thefirst magnet 31, and afourth tilt section 36 which positionally regulates the secondflat section 8 by being attached to thesecond tilt section 34 of thefirst magnet 31 when the secondflat section 8 covers and closes thefront surface 3 a of thedevice case 3, as depicted inFIG. 9 toFIG. 11 . - In this case, as depicted in
FIG. 9 toFIG. 11 , thesecond magnet 32 is formed to have a thin thickness so that, when the secondflat section 8 covers thefront surface 3 a of thedevice case 3 and overlaps with thefirst magnet 31, both thicknesses are slightly higher than the width of thecoupling section 9, or in other words, the thickness of thedevice case 3. - The
third tilt section 35 of thesecond magnet 32 is an end face of thesecond magnet 32 positioned on thecoupling section 9 side, and is structured to tilt and hold the secondflat section 8 at the predetermined angle θ with respect to the firstflat section 7 when it is attached onto thefirst tilt section 33 of thefirst magnet 31. - The
fourth tilt section 36 of thesecond magnet 32 includes a risingtilt section 36 a tilted upward to the right from the upper end of thethird tilt section 35 toward the side opposite to thecoupling section 9, agroove section 36 b positioned on the upper portion of the risingtilt section 36 a, a falling tilt section 360 tilted downward to the right from thegroove section 36 b toward the side opposite to thecoupling section 9, and aflat section 36 d flatly extending from the fallingtilt section 36 c toward the side opposite to thecoupling section 9, as depicted inFIG. 11 . The risingtilt section 36 a, thegroove section 36 b, the falling tilt section 360, and theflat section 36 d are formed in a row on the upper portion of thesecond magnet 32. - That is, when the second
flat section 8 covers and closes thefront surface 3 a of thedevice case 3, the risingtilt section 36 a corresponds to and is attached to thefirst tilt section 33, thegroove section 36 b corresponds to and is attached to theprojection 33 a of thefirst tilt section 33, the fallingtilt section 36 c corresponds to and is attached to thetilt section 34 a of thesecond tilt section 34, and theflat section 36 d corresponds to and is attached to theflat section 34 b of thesecond tilt section 34, whereby thefourth tilt section 36 regulates the position of thesecond magnet 32 with respect to thefirst magnet 31 in the front and back direction of the device case 3 (a horizontal direction inFIG. 11 ), as depicted inFIG. 11 . - Next, the operation of the
protective cover 1 is described. - First, in a case where the
electronic device 2 is mounted on theprotective cover 1 so as to be carried, the secondflat section 8 is folded at thecoupling section 9 and thereby placed on thefront surface 3 a of thedevice case 3. - Here, the
protective cover 1 is folded between the firstflat section 7 and thecoupling section 9 and between the secondflat section 8 and thecoupling section 9, whereby the closing movement of the secondflat section 8 is paused by thepause section 30, and the secondflat section 8 is held with the secondflat section 8 being tilted at the predetermined angle θ with respect to the firstflat section 7. - That is, when the
protective cover 1 is folded between the firstflat section 7 and thecoupling section 9 and between the secondflat section 8 and thecoupling section 9, thesecond magnet 32 of the secondflat section 8 serving as thepause section 30 is brought closer to thefirst magnet 31 of the firstflat section 7, and thethird tilt section 35 of thesecond magnet 32 corresponds to and is attached to thefirst tilt section 33 of thefirst magnet 31, whereby the secondflat section 8 is held at the predetermined angle δ with respect to the firstflat section 7. - Here, a corner of the
third tilt section 35 of thesecond magnet 32 abuts on theprojection 33 a on the upper portion of thefirst tilt section 33 of thefirst magnet 31 for positional regulation. Therefore, thethird tilt section 35 of thesecond magnet 32 can be attached to a predetermined position of thefirst tilt section 33 of thefirst magnet 31, whereby the secondflat section 8 can be tilted and held at the predetermined position and at the predetermined angle θ. - Then, when the second
flat section 8 is rotated against the attachment force between thefirst magnet 31 and thesecond magnet 32, rotation is made with the corner of thethird tilt section 35 of thesecond magnet 32 serving as a pivot and abutting on theprojection 33 a on the upper portion of thefirst tilt section 33 of thefirst magnet 31, and thefourth tilt section 36 of thesecond magnet 32 corresponds to thefirst tilt section 33 and thesecond tilt section 34 of thefirst magnet 31. - Then, when the second
flat section 8 corresponds to and covers thefront surface 3 a of thedevice case 3, the risingtilt section 36 a of thefourth tilt section 36 of thesecond magnet 32 corresponds to and is attached to thefirst tilt section 33, thegroove section 36 b of thefourth tilt section 36 corresponds to and is attached to theprojection 33 a of thefirst tilt section 33, the fallingtilt section 36 c of thefourth tilt section 36 corresponds to and is attached to thetilt section 34 a of thesecond tilt section 34, and theflat section 36 d of thefourth tilt section 36 corresponds to and is attached to theflat section 34 b of thesecond tilt section 34. - As a result, the
second magnet 32 is reliably and positionally regulated with respect to thefirst magnet 31 without a positional shift to the front and back direction of the device case 3 (horizontal direction inFIG. 11 ), whereby the secondflat section 8 reliably corresponds to and covers thefront surface 3 a of thedevice case 3 so that the closed state is kept. - Thus, by the attachment force by the magnetic force between the
first magnet 31 and thesecond magnet 32, the secondflat section 8 is prevented from being inadvertently opened. - Next, use of the
electronic device 2 protected by theprotective cover 1 is described. In this case, firstly, the secondflat section 8 is opened to expose thefront surface 3 a of thedevice case 3. - Here, when the second
flat section 8 is rotated against the attachment force by the magnetic force between thefirst magnet 31 and thesecond magnet 32 of thepause section 30, thesecond magnet 32 rotates with respect to thefirst magnet 31 with the corner of thethird tilt section 35 of thesecond magnet 32 as a pivot. - Then, the portion between the second
flat section 8 and thecoupling section 9 is folded, and thereby the secondflat section 8 is rotated and opened. - Then, the portion between the first
flat section 7 and thecoupling section 9 is folded. As a result, the secondflat section 8 is rotated by 180 degrees and opened to be in a developed state, whereby theinput display section 4 of thedevice case 3 is exposed. - In this state, by the
input display section 4 being touched while information displayed thereon being viewed, display contents can be switched and other information can be inputted. - Here, in a case where the
electronic device 2 is operated by being held with one hand, either one of the portion between the firstflat section 7 and thecoupling section 9 and the portion between the secondflat section 8 and thecoupling section 9 is folded to further rotate the secondflat section 8 by 180 degrees and overlaps it with the lower surface of the firstflat section 7. - In this state, the
device case 3 and the secondflat section 8 are held with one hand to be pinched, and theinput display section 4 of thedevice case 3 is touched, whereby theelectronic device 2 can be favorably used. - In a case where the
electronic device 2 is leaned against theprotective cover 1 to use, theprotective cover 1 is first unfolded and developed on a plane. Then, in this state, the portion between the firstflat section 7 and thecoupling section 9 is folded to rotate the firstflat section 7 with respect to the secondflat section 8 and cause the firstflat section 7 to stand upright, as depicted inFIG. 12 . - Here, the
first tilt section 33 of thefirst magnet 31 corresponds to and is attached to the risingtilt section 36 a of thefourth tilt section 36 of thesecond magnet 32, and theprojection 33 a of thefirst tilt section 33 of thefirst magnet 31 corresponds to and is attached to thegroove section 36 b of thefourth tilt section 36 of thesecond magnet 32. - As a result, by the attachment force by the magnetic force between the
first magnet 31 and thesecond magnet 32, the firstflat section 7 can be held upright with respect to the secondflat section 8. - Then, the standing first
flat section 7 is folded at thefirst folding section 12 to project toward the rear of thedevice case 3. Then, theimaging section 5 of thedevice case 3 is positioned above, and theside surface portion 3 c below thedevice case 3 positioned opposite thereto is placed on the secondflat section 8. In this state, thedevice case 3 is tilted to be leaned against theprotective cover 1. - Here, the edge of the
side surface portion 3 c positioned below thedevice case 3 is engaged with either one of the firstposition regulating groove 8 a and the secondposition regulating groove 8 b provided on the secondflat section 8 selectively, whereby the tilt angle of thedevice case 3 is adjusted, as in the case of the first embodiment. - For example, when the edge of the
side surface portion 3 c positioned below thedevice case 3 is engaged with the firstposition regulating groove 8 a of the secondflat section 8, the tilt of thedevice case 3 is slight. - When the edge of the
side surface portion 3 c positioned below thedevice case 3 is engaged with the secondposition regulating groove 8 b of the secondflat section 8, the tilt of thedevice case 3 is steep. - Moreover, when the edge of the
side surface portion 3 c positioned below thedevice case 3 is placed on the upper surface of the secondflat section 8 positioned on thecoupling section 9 side of the secondposition regulating groove 8 b, thedevice case 3 can be leaned at a steeper angle. - In a case where a memo is required to be written on a recording paper sheet such as a writing paper sheet as the subject 6 while the
electronic device 2 is being held with one hand, the secondflat section 8 is folded at thesecond folding section 13 with thedevice case 3 being covered and protected by theprotective cover 1, as with the first embodiment. Then, the secondflat section 8 is folded into two, and the folded portions are overlapped with each other. - In this state, the
electronic device 2 is held with one hand together with theprotective cover 1, and the recording paper sheet such as a writing paper sheet is placed on the uppermost surface of the overlapping portions of the secondflat section 8. As a result, a memo can be written. - Also, in a case where a touch operation is required to be performed on the
input display section 4 while a recording paper sheet containing a memo is being viewed, theprotective cover 1 is once unfolded and developed on a plane. In this state, the portion between the firstflat section 7 and thecoupling section 9 is folded to rotate the firstflat section 7, the firstflat section 7 is folded at thefirst folding section 12 downward relative to thedevice case 3, and the folded portions are overlapped with each other, as in the case of the first embodiment. - Then, since the second
flat section 8 is overlapped below thedevice case 3, a recording paper sheet is interposed between the secondflat section 8 and a half of the firstflat section 7 folded and positioned below, and partially projected from thedevice case 3, as in the case of the first embodiment. Accordingly, a touch operation can be performed on theinput display section 4 of thedevice case 3 while the memo written in the projected recording paper sheet is being viewed. - Next, imaging of the subject 6, such as a memo or a business card recorded on a recording paper sheet, by the
imaging section 5 is described. - Firstly, in a state where the
device case 3 is mounted on thedevice mount plate 14 on the firstflat section 7 of theprotective cover 1, theelectronic device 2 is set at an imaging mode so that imaging by theimaging section 5 can be performed. - Then, the
protective cover 1 is unfolded and developed on a plane, and thesubject 6 is placed on the secondflat section 8 of the developedprotective cover 1. Here, thesubject 6 is fixed by being inserted below thecorner bands 8 c of the secondflat section 8. - In this state, as depicted in
FIG. 9 , the portion between the firstflat section 7 and thecoupling section 9 and the portion between the secondflat section 8 and thecoupling section 9 are folded to tilt the secondflat section 8 together with thecoupling section 9 toward thefront surface 3 a of thedevice case 3. - Then, the
second magnet 32 of the secondflat section 8 as thepause section 30 is brought closer to thefirst magnet 31 of the firstflat section 7, and thethird tilt section 35 of thesecond magnet 32 corresponds to and is attached to thefirst tilt section 33 of thefirst magnet 31 to hold the secondflat section 8 with it tilted at the predetermined angle θ with respect to the firstflat section 7. - Here, the corner of the
third tilt section 35 of thesecond magnet 32 abuts on theprojection 33 a positioned on the upper portion of thefirst tilt section 33 of thefirst magnet 31 for positional regulation. Therefore, thethird tilt section 35 of thesecond magnet 32 can be attached to the predetermined position of thefirst tilt section 33 of thefirst magnet 31, whereby the secondflat section 8 can be tilted and held at the predetermined position and at the predetermined angle θ. - Then, the open/close detecting
section 26 detects an open/close angle of the secondflat section 8. - That is, in the open/close detecting
section 26, when secondflat section 8 is tilted to the predetermined angle θ with respect to the firstflat section 7, thedetection target section 26 b that is the magnet provided in theprotective cover 1 is brought closer to thedetection element 26 a that is the magnetic sensor such as a Hall element provided in thedevice case 3, and thedetection element 26 a detects a magnetic field of thedetection target section 26 b and outputs an electric signal for causing theimaging section 5 to perform imaging. - As a result, the subject 6 such as the recording paper sheet containing a memo or a business card is imaged by the
imaging section 5. - Note that the present invention is not limited thereto, and the subject 6 can be imaged even when, for example, the
electronic device 2 is leaned against theprotective cover 1. - In this case, as depicted in
FIG. 12 , the portion between the secondflat section 8 and thecoupling section 9 is folded to rotate the firstflat section 7 and cause the firstflat section 7 to stand upright. - Here, the
first tilt section 33 of thefirst magnet 31 corresponds to and is attached to the risingtilt section 36 a of thefourth tilt section 36 of thesecond magnet 32, and theprojection 33 a of thefirst tilt section 33 of thefirst magnet 31 corresponds to and is attached to thegroove section 36 b of thefourth tilt section 36 of thesecond magnet 32. - As a result, by the attachment force by the magnetic force between the
first magnet 31 and thesecond magnet 32, the firstflat section 7 can be held upright with respect to the secondflat section 8. - By folding this standing first
flat section 7 at thefirst folding section 12 to project toward the rear of thedevice case 3, thedevice case 3 is tilted against theprotective cover 1, as depicted inFIG. 12 . - In this state, the subject 6 such as a recording paper sheet or business card containing a memo is placed in front of the
electronic device 2, and a switch for imaging (not shown) is turned ON. As a result, the subject 6 can be imaged by theimaging section 6. - As such, in the electronic device of the second embodiment as well, the
front surface 3 a of theelectronic device 2 placed on the firstflat section 7 can be openably and closably covered by the secondflat section 8, and thefirst folding section 12 of the firstflat section 7 and thesecond folding section 13 of the secondflat section 8 can be selectively folded in accordance with the use state of theelectronic device 2, as in the case of the first embodiment. As a result of this structure, the electronic device which is user-friendly and can be used according to various use situations is provided. - For example, by the second
flat section 8 being rotated around thesecond hinge 22 of thecoupling section 9 and overlapped with the lower surface of the firstflat section 7, theelectronic device 2 can be operated with it being held with one hand. - Also, by the first
flat section 7 being rotated around thesecond hinge 22 of thecoupling section 9 with respect to secondflat section 8 to stand upright, and the standing firstflat section 7 being folded at thefirst folding section 12 to project toward the rear of thedevice case 3, theelectronic device 2 can be used with it being leaned against theprotective cover 1. - In this case as well, the second
flat section 8 is provided with the firstposition regulating groove 8 a and the secondposition regulating groove 8 b that engage with the edge of theside surface portion 3 c positioned below thedevice case 3. Accordingly, by the edge of theside surface portion 3 c positioned below thedevice case 3 being engaged with one of the firstposition regulating groove 8 a and the secondposition regulating groove 8 b provided on the secondflat section 8 selectively, the tilt angle of thedevice case 3 can be adjusted according to a use situation. - Moreover, when the second
flat section 8 is folded at thesecond folding section 13 with thedevice case 3 being covered and protected by theprotective cover 1, the secondflat section 8 is folded into two and the folded portions are overlapped with each other, whereby a memo can be written on a recording paper sheet such as a writing paper sheet serving as the subject 6 while theelectronic device 2 is being held with one hand. - Furthermore, when the first
flat section 7 is rotated around thesecond hinge 22 of thecoupling section 9 and folded at thefirst folding section 12 downward relative to thedevice case 3, the folded portions are overlapped with each other. Then, when a recording paper sheet is interposed between the half of the firstflat section 7 folded and positioned below and the secondflat section 8, it is partially projected from thedevice case 3, whereby theinput display section 4 of theelectronic device 2 can be touched while the memo written on the projected recording paper sheet is being viewed. - Moreover, in the electronic device of the second embodiment, the
pause section 30 includes thefirst magnet 31 provided to the firstflat section 7 positioned at one side portion of thecoupling section 9, and thesecond magnet 32 provided to the secondflat section 8 positioned at another side portion of thecoupling section 9. When the secondflat section 8 is tilted to the predetermined angle θ with respect to the firstflat section 7, thefirst magnet 31 and thesecond magnet 32 attach to each other by the magnetic force so as to hold the secondflat section 8 with it tilted at the predetermined angle θ with respect to the firstflat section 7. As a result of this structure, imaging timing of theimaging section 5 of theelectronic device 2 is ensured and thereby imaging is accurately and favorably performed, as with the first embodiment. - That is, in the electronic device of the second embodiment, the second
flat section 8 can be paused at the predetermined angle θ by thepause section 30 when thefront surface 3 a of theelectronic device 2 placed on the firstflat section 7 is covered with the secondflat section 8, as in the case of the first embodiment. Therefore, imaging timing of theimaging section 5 of theelectronic device 2 can be ensured, whereby the subject 6 such as a recording paper sheet or a business card placed on the secondflat section 8 can be accurately and favorably imaged always in a predetermined state. - Thus, with the
protective cover 1 as well, when the secondflat section 8 is tilted to the predetermined angle θ with respect to the firstflat section 7, and the rotation of the secondflat section 8 is paused by thepause section 20, the open/close detectingsection 26 detects an open/close angle of the secondflat section 8 with respect to the firstflat section 7, and outputs a detection signal for causing theimaging section 5 to perform imaging, as in the case of the first embodiment. Therefore, imaging timing of theimaging section 5 can be kept constant. Also, the pause of the secondflat section 8 generates sufficient imaging timing, whereby the subject 6 can be reliably and favorably imaged. - In the first and second embodiments, the
detection element 26 a of the open/close detectingsection 26 is a magnetic sensor such as a Hall element, and thedetection target section 26 b is a magnet. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, an optical sensor may be used in which the detection element is constituted by a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, and the detection target section is constituted by a reflecting section. In this case, the optical sensor detects an open/close angle of theprotective cover 1 by reflecting light from the light-emitting element of the detection element at the reflecting section of the detection target section and receiving the reflected light at the light-receiving element of the detection element. - Also, the open/close detecting section is not limited to those described above. For example, a mechanical switch section may be used in which the detection element is constituted by a micro switch and the detection target section which pushes the micro switch serving as the detection element is constituted by a part of the
coupling section 9. By using this mechanical switch section as an open/close detecting section, the structure can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced. - Moreover, in the first and second embodiments, the present invention is applied to a tablet terminal device as the
electronic device 2. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be applied to a flat-type electronic device having a keyboard section and a display section arranged on a plane. - While the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, it is intended that the invention be not limited by any of the details of the description therein but includes all the embodiments which fall within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims (5)
Priority Applications (1)
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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CN103582341A (en) | 2014-02-12 |
US9078338B2 (en) | 2015-07-07 |
JP5975273B2 (en) | 2016-08-23 |
CN103582341B (en) | 2016-05-11 |
US20150271305A1 (en) | 2015-09-24 |
US9344538B2 (en) | 2016-05-17 |
JP2014021477A (en) | 2014-02-03 |
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